The present invention is directed to the implanting of surgical devices and more particularly to a method of and apparatus for the surgical implantation of graft, catheters, as we'll as cables or wires, optic fibers or any straight or curve, stiff, flexible or semi-flexible materials into living tissue. For example, arterial or venous grafts and catheters implanted for the purpose of arterio-venous bypass or extra corporeal therapies of any kind are presently being implanted into living tissue with the aid of a large Kelly forceps or solid barb-tipped trocar. The problem with the use of Kelly clamps are that they are designed for clamping heavy tissue, gauze and surgical towels. They were never intended to produce tunnels or to act as a tunneling device in living tissue for implanting graft, catheters or other stiff, flexible or non-flexible medical or veterinary devices. Typically, the surgeon takes the pointed end of the Kelley damp and forces it through the living tissue until the blunt end of the clamp is protruding through to the desired incision. The Kelly damp is then opened. The surgical device is grasped by the jagged edges of the clamp and is then dragged back through the living tissue. The oversized and irregular tunnel left by the Kelly damp is always uneven, which can cause the surgical device not to seat properly in the tissue. The improper seating of the surgical device can eventually lead to infection and or failure of the implanted surgical device.
As for barbed trocars with sharp tips, they am nothing more than large sewing needles which the surgeon uses to bore through tissue. Once the opposing incision is reached, the surgical device is attached to the barbed end and the surgical device is pulled back through the tissue. The tunnel made by the trocar is often too tight, inhibiting proper seating of the surgical device.
In the end, use of beth of the above mention devices can lead to misplacement and kinking of implanted graft and catheters as well as an increased infection and increased mortality rate for human, as well as animal subjects.
It is therefor a principal object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for implanting a surgical device into human or animal tissue which over comes the problem of infection, excessive tissue trauma, and poor seating of surgical devices in living tissue.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for implanting a surgical device into human and animal tissue which is simple in construction and therefore low in cost.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for accurately implanting a surgical device into human and animal tissue.